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Quiet Mind Meditation

This is a quiet space .. designed to inspire, nurture and support your meditation practice so that you might find your own quiet mind

Wednesday, 10 December 2014

Flavours of Meditation

When people first try meditation, they are often astounded
by the level of noise and frenetic activity going on in their mind. Buddhist refer
to this as ‘monkey mind’ .. the constant
chatter and rapid fire talking that is our mind stream, a mix of disconnected thoughts,
images, fantasies, ideas, concepts and emotions that can all well up in the
quiet vacuum of meditation. A little
like going to the movies .. we take our seat, relax our body .. and the mind rolls
into a constant supply of wonderfully entertaining thoughts and memories to
distract us.

An AnchorIn meditation, to assist us in slowing down and finding
that quieter place within, we give our mind something to do .. an anchor. By placing our full attention, indeed
our fascination and enthusiasm, onto our meditation anchor .. we give our monkey
mind something ‘to do’ or hold onto.

When discussing meditation techniques, I often use the
analogy of the glider seeking the freedom of flight. Initially the glider is attached by a rope to
the lead plane, and the glider pilot follows the tug as he is pulled up to the
release height. When the glider is
comfortable and in tune his surroundings, he releases the rope. A meditation
technique is like that guide plane, leading us to the point of stillness where
we can then release the rope (anchor). And then we simply hold a gentle, restful
attention. If we become distracted or
wander off with a story or a thought .. we simply return our attention to our
anchor again, and again, and again.

Many Flavours of MeditationThere are hundreds (if not thousands) of meditation
techniques available, from all cultures and countries across the world. A little like approaching a luscious
smorgasbord, we are presented with a range of meditation ‘flavour’s’ .. ancient, contemporary, Eastern, Western, concentration,
insight, seated or moving.

Some of the
more familiar meditation flavours include (we shall review each of these over coming weeks):

* Counting, feeling or following the breath (Zen, Mindfulness,
Vipassana)

Given we are all unique in how we learn, not to mention our
goals and lifestyles, the aim is to find the meditation technique that
resonates best for you .. and then to do it! What meditation 'flavour' have you had experience with?